Doctors Lounge - Cardiology Answers

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Left arm Feels heavy AFTER MITRAL VALVE REPAIR?My father just had a mitral valve repair 2 days ago.Everything went well,all numbers are good but his left arm. Left arm feels very heavy, doctors did all the CT, MRI,X RAYS tests and told me its not a stroke maybe positioning in O.R table.Just wanted to know what may cause his left arm not to respond and move like the right arm.Any ideas what we can do will help. Thank you for reading my question.

Heavines in left arm is associated with several reasons. First and foremost is the heart condition- Angina where along with the chest pain one aalso may get pain or heaviness in the left arm. Your father however had a problem in mitral valve, a Mitral Prolapse which has nothing to do with the disease causing Angina and couldn't be related.

Another reason is some nerve root compression at the spinal cord level. This will create heaviness, pain or numbness all along the distribution route of the nerve.

The possibility described by your hospital doctors is also absolutely valid, and if so the symptom will get relived in a few days' time.

Meanwhile, I do not see any reason for worry or panic on this ground, only some muscle relaxants plus some analgesics, which in any case he would be receiving after the surgery will control the symptom.